Litigants Making Mockery Of Judicial System By Filing False Complaints To Gain Leverage In Matrimonial Disputes: Delhi HC

This remark came as the Court quashed an FIR filed by a wife against her husband and his family members following a mutual settlement between the parties. The marriage took place in 2018, and the following year, the wife lodged a complaint alleging cruelty related to dowry demands, along with accusations that her brother-in-law attempted to sexually harass and abuse her.

In response, the husband and his family sought to have the case dismissed, citing the settlement reached between them. They informed the court that they had obtained a decree of divorce by mutual consent and wished to move forward with their lives peacefully.

A Bench of Justice Amit Mahajan said, “It is an abysmal state of affairs that litigants have resorted to making a mockery of the judicial system by preferring false complaints of such a serious nature to arm twist the other side and gain leverage in matrimonial disputes.”

Advocate Ravinder Pal Singh appeared for the Petitioners and Advocate Rajkumar appeared for the Respondents.

While acknowledging the seriousness of the sexual harassment allegation against the brother-in-law, the court noted that the wife indicated the FIR was filed based on advice she received at the time. The Court remarked, “However, as noted above, the complainant has since moved on in her life. In such circumstances, the continuation of proceedings would only cause further undue harassment and heartburn to the parties.”

In light of these considerations, the Court decided to quash the FIR, emphasizing the importance of allowing both parties to heal and proceed without the burden of ongoing legal conflicts.

Cause Title: Prateek & Ors. v. State NCT of Delhi & Anr.

Appearance:

Respondents: Advocates Rajkumar, Ashok Kumar Sabharwal, Satish Kumar, Shakir Husain and Shobhit Sabharwal